Difficulty in Early Diagnosis of Bilateral Posterior Fracture-dislocation of the Shoulder Caused by an Electric Shock in a Walk-in Patient: A Case Report.

Abstract

Bilateral posterior fracture-dislocation of the shoulder is a very rare injury that is commonly missed. Almost 70% of bilateral posterior dislocations are due to convulsive seizures, with electric shocks accounting for < 5% of bilateral posterior shoulder dislocations. The case of a walk-in patient, a 52-year-old man, with bilateral posterior fracture-dislocation of the shoulder caused by an electric shock is reported. Although he was initially admitted to the emergency department for observation of the potential complications of an electric shock, such as fatal arrhythmia and rhabdomyolysis, he subsequently consulted an orthopedic surgeon 4 days after the event due to persistent bilateral shoulder pain and was diagnosed using X-ray and computed tomography with bilateral posterior fracture-dislocation of the shoulder. Following open reduction and internal fixation 7 days after the injury, the upper limbs were fixed with shoulder braces at a slightly flexed and abducted position with neutral rotation for 3 weeks postoperatively followed by range of motion exercises. Twelve months after surgery, he had a Constant shoulder score of 94, an American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeon score of 100, and no shoulder re-dislocation or humeral head necrosis. In this walk-in patient, the diagnosis of bilateral posterior fracture-dislocation of the shoulder caused by an electric shock was delayed. We believe that understanding the mechanism of this type of injury will facilitate its early diagnosis.